Representatives from 11 cities of gastronomy gathered together on March 15 to discuss the theme of the gourmet industry and the sustainable development of cities.
The UCCN Cities of Gastronomy (Shunde) Food and Culture Exchange Activity was held in Foshan, Guangdong. They include San Antonio in the United States, Phetchaburi in Thailand, Kermanshah Khan in Iran, Kuching in Malaysia, Battambang in Cambodia, as well as Chengdu, Shunde, Macao, Yangzhou, Huai'an, and Chaozhou in China.
Qin Changwei, secretary-general of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, said that the event has built a good platform for exchanges and mutual learning for creative cities of gastronomy through joint discussion on how to carry forward the food culture and develop the food industry.
Shunde was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in December 2014, becoming the first city in the Cantonese cuisine region to win this title.
Ms. Denise Bax, Chief of Communication for the Cities and Events Unit at UNESCO and Secretary of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, said that over the past decade, Shunde has contributed a lot to the development of the Creative Cities Network. Every year, it hosts the Food Culture Week, which highlights the importance of delicious food in promoting sustainable urban development.
During the event, Shunde also completed a Guinness World Record challenge: 3,960 Shunde chefs formed the Chinese character "Shun" pattern, setting a new world record for "the most people to spell the Chinese character pattern".
The huge talent team provides a solid foundation for the development of Shunde's food industry. At present, Shunde has more than 30,000 restaurants, over 100,000 catering employees, 43 Chinese master chefs, 27 famous Chinese chefs, and 130 Shunde famous chefs.
Reporter | Zhang Yanqing, Jiang Xiaomin
English version | Fanny
English Editor | Nan, Abby, James
Photos provided to GDToday
